ALEX SILVA TO DEFEND ONE STRAWWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST YOSHITAKA NAITO IN REMATCH

The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced ONE: GRIT AND GLORY, set for 12 May at the Jakarta Convention Center. The absolute best in local and international martial arts talent are ready to showcase their skills inside the prestigious ONE Championship cage. In the main event, reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva of Brazil takes on Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Japan in a highly-anticipated rematch.

Ticket information for ONE: GRIT AND GLORY is available at www.onefc.com.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “Their first encounter just months ago was a gripping five-round affair that saw the best of each man. Now, Alex Silva and Yoshitaka Naito are set to dance once again inside the ONE Championship cage. The ONE Strawweight World Championship hangs in the balance. Jakarta is once again ready to play host to a blockbuster evening of world-class martial arts, and I am pleased to announce another spectacular card.”

Alex “Little Rock” Silva of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a third-degree black belt and Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion feared for his relentless pursuit of submission finishes. He is a technical grappling specialist with a penchant for securing highlight-reel submissions. With steadily increasing confidence, five of Silva’s last six victories have all ended in spectacular fashion. In his most recent contest, Silva turned in the best performance of his career, defeating former champion Yoshitaka Naito via unanimous decision to claim the ONE Strawweight World Championship. Now, Silva is ready to return to action to defend the belt against the same man he took it from.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Matsudo, Japan, owns a stellar professional record of 12-1. He owns six victories by submission and one by knockout. Naito made a name for himself at Japan’s world famous Korakuen Hall competing for Shooto as its Flyweight Champion, and captured the ONE Strawweight World Championship by submitting Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in his ONE promotional debut in 2016. In his most recent bout, Naito succumbed to now reigning division king, Alex Silva. He returns to action looking to reclaim championship glory against Silva in a rematch.

Top Indonesian martial arts talent Stefer Rahardian impressed in his ONE Championship debut by winning the ONE: TITLES & TITANS Flyweight Tournament in August of 2016. Rahardian finished both Yotha Hutagalung and Hendrick Wijaya by first round rear-naked choke to become the tournament winner. Since then, Rahardian has blazed a trail in the ONE Championship cage in an amazing run as a professional. In his last outing, Rahardian outperformed Pakistan’s Muhammad Imran to win by unanimous decision. Still unbeaten at a perfect 8-0, Rahardian puts his unblemished record on the line against Himanshu Kaushik in a strawweight contest.

Indian bantamweight contender Himanshu Kaushik is set to make his ONE Championship debut at ONE: GRIT AND GLORY. Kaushik has competed mostly in his native India, showcasing a solid set of striking and grappling skills. A striking specialist, Kaushik also owns a wushu record of 71-7. Kaushik’s promotional debut will be anything but easy however, as he faces surging Indonesian martial arts talent Stefer Rahardian in a three-round strawweight bout.

Former ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, has proven to be one of the most talented martial artists in the world. Making his ONE Championship debut in 2015, Bigdash captured the middleweight title with a resounding technical knockout victory over Igor Svirid, in one of the most action-packed contests in ONE Championship history. In his last bout, Bigdash succumbed to Myanmar hero “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang, surrendering his middleweight belt in the process. Bigdash is ready to make his highly-anticipated return and looks to climb back up the division ladder. He faces former ONE world title challenger Leandro Ataides next.

Leandro Ataides of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a 31-year-old martial arts veteran who owns a professional record of 10-3, with only three of Ataides’ victories reaching the final bell. In his last bout, Ataides scored his second victory in a row, defeating former ONE world title challenger Michal Pasternak by unanimous decision in a three-round middleweight contest.The hard-charging Ataides is a force to be reckoned with at middleweight, and will look to excite the crowd by once more against former middleweight titleholder Vitaly Bigdash.

Kotetsu “No Face” Boku, although originally from South Korea, is a Japanese martial arts veteran and the former ONE Lightweight World Champion. With more than 30 professional bouts on his resume, Boku has the experience of a seasoned professional and has seen it all inside the cage. Always a crowd pleaser, Boku utilizes his dynamic boxing background with stunning knockout power to subdue his opponents. In his next bout, Boku aims to put on a show once again opposite Rafael Nunes.

30-year-old Rafael “Indio” Nunes is a martial artist from Sao Paulo, Brazil with a 11-1 professional record. He is the former Premier FC Lightweight Champion and has steamrolled through the competition in his home country with a knack for winning by exciting finish. All but one of Nunes’ 11 wins have ended within the distance. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, Nunes is equally comfortable finishing his opponents by submission or by strikes. He looks to showcase his multifaceted skill set in his next bout, and will face a tough challenge when he takes on veteran Kotetsu Boku.

Female martial artist Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol of Jakarta, Indonesia, is an Indonesian national wushu champion who has trained in various striking disciplines such as kickboxing and wushu. The 29-year-old made her ONE Championship debut against Singapore’s Tiffany Teo at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS in February 2017, joining a growing list of elite female martial artists in Asia. Lumban Gaol, a striking specialist with a wushu record of 15-5, will look to extend her two-bout winning streak to three in her next appearance inside the ONE Championship cage, when she takes on Rome Trinidad.

20-year-old Rome “The Rebel” Trinidad of Manila, Philippines is set to return to action in her second appearance inside the ONE Championship cage. The atomweight competitor is a practitioner of Sikaran, an ancient martial arts discipline which originated from Rizal province in the Philippines. With no written history, Sikaran was passed on from generation to generation by succession. A former National Sikaran Champion training out of Elorde Gym, Trinidad is ready to showcase her skills to the world. She takes on rising Indonesian martial arts star Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol.

Victorio “Indra” Senduk of Bandung, Indonesia is an unbeaten featherweight contender and former IBC Featherweight Champion. Sporting an unblemished professional record of 7-0, Senduk is a proven knockout artist with heavy hands. Featuring a background in wushu and kickboxing, Senduk is a striker with an aggressive style. In his most recent bout, Senduk stopped veteran Yohan Mulia Legowo via second-round technical knockout. Representing Gorilla Fight Club, Senduk is set to face Sor Sey.

A prominent member of Cambodian Top Team, Sor Sey of Phnom Penh is one of the most talented Cambodian martial artists to showcase his skills inside the ONE Championship cage. A Kun Khmer practitioner with tremendous striking skills and a Kun Khmer record of 145-47-11, Sor Sey made his promotional debut at ONE: KINGDOM OF KHMER, defeating countryman Chim Chetra by second-round technical knockout. Sor Sey now returns to competition and will face a rising star from Indonesia, Victorio Senduk.

22-year-old Eliyas “Malaku Warrior” Latupeirissa of Jakarta, Indonesia is set to make his ONE Championship debut. The top Indonesian martial arts prospect who represents Tigershark Fighting Academy is known as a boxing stylist and a powerful puncher. He will be facing countryman Dodi Mardian in a flyweight contest in his first appearance inside the ONE Championship cage.

Indonesia’s Dodi “The Maung” Mardian is a silat practitioner and an Indonesian combat sports veteran. Also skilled in the arts of Muay Thai and sanda, Mardian made his cage debut in 2016 after deciding to showcase his talent on the biggest stage of competition. The 33-year-old is looking to make a name for himself in ONE Championship, as he seeks to put his skills to the test in the world’s toughest proving ground for martial arts. In his next contest, Mardian will take on Eliyas Latupeirissa.

30-year-old Radeem Rahman is a former Singapore Muay Thai champion and striking specialist. He made his ONE Championship debut in September of 2011, as part of the historic first-ever ONE Championship event, ONE: CHAMPION VS CHAMPION, defeating Susovan Ghosh by first-round technical knockout. After a long break from competition, Rahman is ready to resume his professional career, and will make his highly-anticipated return to the ONE Championship cage against Tang De Pan.

25-year-old Tang De Pan of Changsha, China, is a sanda practitioner and is currently unbeaten as a professional in martial arts. A former Chinese National Wrestling Champion, Tang is highly-aggressive and relentless, always looking for the quick finish. Making his ONE Championship debut in January of 2016, Tang defeated countryman Zhou Biao with a highlight-reel knockout by slamming his opponent emphatically to the mat. In his most recent contest, Tang defeated Asraful Islam by unanimous decision. His next assignment is against Radeem Rahman.
29-year-old Doan Birawa of Solo, Indonesia is a martial artist competing in ONE Championship’s fast-growing strawweight division. The Han Fight Academy prospect is adept in both boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and features solid striking and grappling skills. Making his professional debut, Birawa is set to step foot inside the ONE Championship cage opposite countryman Riski Umar.

Striking specialist Riski “Kong” Umar is a 25-year-old ONE Championship strawweight contender from Ternate, Indonesia. A Muay Thai and taekwondo practitioner, Umar hones his talent out of Bali MMA alongside other world-class martial arts such as Gianni Subba and Andrew Leone. Known for his toughness and superior striking skill, Umar is set to return in his fourth appearance inside the ONE cage, this time against Doan Birawa.